Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossing the Streams on the Bye Week: Patriots Talk w/Zac Blackerby — 12/9/21

Episode Date: December 11, 2021

With the New England Patriots enjoying a well-deserved and much-needed by week, they have a sharp eye focused on the remainder of 2021. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Zac Blackerby, host of Locked On Auburn, as the duo discuss the Pats 2021 season to date, and what lies ahead as they push forward to the 2021 playoffs.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.StatHeroStatHero is the first of its kind Daily Fantasy Sports platform where it’s YOU vs. the HOUSE in head to head fantasy matchups - winner take all. Sign up for FREE - RIGHT NOW - at StatHero.com/LOCKEDON and use promo code LOCKEDON for a One Hundred Percent Deposit Match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Thursday, December 9th, 2021. And even though it's the bye week, it is still time to cross the streams here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And once again, Locked On listeners, thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day.

Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. And also, today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by StatHero, the first-of-its-kind daily fantasy sports platform where it's you versus the house in head-to-head fantasy matchups. Winner take all. Sign up for free right now at StatHero.com slash Locked On and use the promo code LOCKEDON for a 100% deposit match. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this crossover Thursday episode of the pod. Again, the Patriots may not be in action this weekend,

but we're still crossing the streams here on the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And, folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback,

always welcomed, very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Thursday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats fans, once again, it is the bye week, but it doesn't mean crossover Thursday shutting down.

No, instead, we're going to do a little bit of a different crossover, crossing over with one of our favorites here on Locked On Patriots. The best way to evaluate the New England Patriots' performance so far is to know not only where they've come from, but where they're going in the future. And one of the best Patriots minds out there in the network exists in the college channel. And folks, if an Auburn guy can give a lot of love and props

to three prominent Alabama alumni, then you know that the Patriots are doing something right. That's right, folks. Zach Blackerby, host of Locked on Auburn, will join me here on the hot seat in just a moment. And our bi-week crossing of the streams will consist of our talking about those Bama boys, namely quarterback Mac Jones, running back Damian Harris, and rookie defensive tackle Christian Barmore. We'll also talk a little bit about how far the Patriots have come since a two and four start. Zach and I had the chance to do a little in-person evaluation of

the New England Patriots back in early October when your Pats hosted Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers have come a long way since then. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few that think that that matchup back in October may just end up being a Super Bowl preview. A lot needs to happen for that to actually come to fruition, folks, but the notion is out there. And Zach and I will discuss that, where the Patriots have come from and where they'll be going in 2021. So an action-packed agenda, lots of crossing of the streams going, the host of Locked On Auburn giving praise upon praise to Alabama products,

dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. So without further ado, we bring in Zach Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast, as this bi-week crossover Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, I know so many of you out there are fantasy fans. And did you win in fantasy last night? Well, I sure hope so, because no one plays daily fantasy sports to lose. Winning feels so much better, am I right?

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StatHero.com slash LockedOn. Promo code LockedOn. Terms and conditions apply. New England Patriots fans, I know you always tune in to Thursday episodes here on the Locked On Podcast Network for Crossover Thursday. Well, Patriots are on the bye week, a much needed, much deserved bye week, and judging by some of the Instagram posts going out there, they're pretty much enjoying themselves, and they should be. At 9-4,

your New England Patriots are not only first in the AFC East, they're also first in the AFC overall. And I say it every day, but not a lot of people saw this one coming. I'll admit it, I didn't. But we're enjoying the ride up here in New England, and it's going to continue to get even better, but the road will continue to get tougher. Here today to break down where the Patriots have been

and where they might be going is one of the more brilliant Patriots minds out there in the Twitterverse when it comes to Patriots fandom. He is also an esteemed host and an esteemed manager here at the Locked On Podcast Network. He is the college channel manager at Locked On. He is the host of Locked On Auburn and also an editor at

the Auburn Wire. My good friend Zach Blackerby joins me here today on the pod. Zach, always an honor to join you here on the Locked On Podcast Network Airwaves. It's my honor to welcome you here today for a pseudo crossover Thursday. No, I appreciate that, Mike. Yeah, it seems like it was just yesterday when we were chit-chatting, getting to know each other a little bit outside of Gillette Stadium for that Pats-Bucks game. And man, since that night, it's been a fun ride to watch this team kind of come together and win some football games. It really is, Bud. And you know, it's amazing considering where this team started. And at that moment, like you said, when we're chatting outside Gillette Stadium waiting for this game to begin, the Patriots were sitting at one and two.

And going into this one, not a lot of people thought that they would be able to overcome the mighty Buccaneers. Tom Brady coming back into Gillette. Everyone expected him to roll and have a big game. The weather was not definitely not cooperative. It was a nasty night at Gillette. Of course, I can't complain. I was nice and cushioned in the press box. I didn't exactly. I really didn't have a cause to complain on that, but bless the brave souls that brave that weather that night. That was not a fun night to be sitting at Gillette. It was a damn chilly um you know late fall night that early fall I should say night but just you know one of those those games where you know you just you're there for the experience but um yeah the uh the the weather did not cooperate that night but since then the New England Patriots have

definitely won a lot more than they've lost. They only have one more loss after that game, and that comes to the Dallas Cowboys, one that arguably the Patriots were in right up until the end. A lot of people argue that they really could have and maybe should have won that game. They're doing it with a familiar formula, Zach. They're doing it with smart, complimentary football on both sides of the ball and exemplary coaching. And that really has been the New England Patriots modus operandi heading now into the bye week and into the final four games of the season. From a fan's perspective and just from a, you know, outside analysis perspective, when you look at this team,

what has been the catalyst that you think has really springboarded the New England Patriots back to prominence in the NFL so quickly? Well, I think a lot of it is people are doing their job. And I know that's a cliche thing, you know, from a Patriots point of view, but that's really what you're seeing. And it looks like this team is playing similar to how it did in the early 2000s, which is amazing when you think about how much the game of football has evolved on both sides of the ball since, you know, New England's three out of four run with Brady that kind of launched this dynasty. But everybody's playing sound football, you know, consistently good decision making. And folks are just kind of staying in their lane and taking care of business, playing

really good defense, number one scoring defense in the league right now. And then obviously, you know, a good running game. I mean, Damian Harris and then Stevenson, I could watch him run the ball all day long. I can't wait to see, you know, how he gets better each and every season for the next few years. It's going to be a fun tandem to watch kind of grow up together. But Max Jones, as a rookie, he's just consistently making good decisions. And that was kind of the thing early on where it's like, okay, you can see he's got the arm talent. He's got just enough athleticism to be able to move around the pocket if you need him to. But

he's just, it seems like the game has slowed down for him drastically since that messy Sunday night that we were talking about when they lost to the Bucs. And even, you know, the Mac Jones that lost to the Dallas Cowboys, the offense looks infinitely more competent. And I think some of that's Mac Jones. I think some of us, the running game has gotten better. We definitely saw that this past Monday. The offensive lines kind of gelled together.

I think they were still battling some injuries. They didn't have all their guys back at that point in the season. But also, I mean, I think this receiving core, and I was really hard on these receivers going into the season. I didn't think that they would come together like they have. But Kendrick Bourne is a guy that's really, really impressed me. He's got over 600 yards already. Jacoby Myers, I think, is right behind him, if I recall correctly.

So those two guys have been really, really strong. Nelson Aguilar is a solid number three or four guy in this offense. And then Hunter Henry, I mean, he's catching touchdowns left and right for this team, assuming it's a game plan where they want to throw the football. So, you know, I think this is a group that's really kind of come together because my big thing was, okay, New England's got a bunch of number two and number three wide receivers on their roster. They need that number one guy,

but the way that they're kind of changing it from week to week, as far as rotating who that number one guy is, it's really seemed to work and they seem to be patient kind of growing with Mac Jones, which is, which is really, really cool to see. And so, you know, I think it's just a lot of dudes, Mike, coming together and kind of figuring out what Belichick wants them to do. And I think they're peaking at the right time. Absolutely. They truly are peaking at the right time. And I'm glad you mentioned some of the players that really have been a huge part of this resurgence in New England. Not only Mac, obviously he's been extremely

impressive at the quarterback position. No one's arguing that point. I've been very much impressed with this kid. And I remember telling you that night that we were talking outside Gillette. One time during training camp, or I should say the one time during training camp, where I really started to see the seedlings of the Mac Jones that we're seeing from week to week, obviously saved for, uh, for Monday night game planning, uh, didn't call for a whole lot of passing. And we'll get to that in a little bit folks, but that's where I started to see a little bit of the seedling was when he took the ball from Cam Newton, uh, when Cam was out with, um, obviously with, uh, with the COVID misunderstanding, and Mac had a chance to really commandeer the offense, and he looked so comfortable. It looked to be a situation where he was able to complete passes.

He was throwing guys open. There were a lot of good opportunities for him to be able to showcase what he could do. And while at the time, and I'll be the first to admit it, I didn't know if it was going to be enough to unseat Cam Newton as the starter. It made me feel good for whenever they were ready to hand the keys to the kingdom over to Mac Jones, that this was going to happen. And it was going to happen well, no matter when the Patriots felt it was a good opportunity for them to do that. So obviously Mac has been very impressive, but Bourne has been equally as impressive. You look at the fit that he's had in this offense, Hunter Henry coming in here, being that prototypical wide tight end,

someone that can run routes. And Hunter is one of the best route runners I've ever covered throughout my days of covering NFL teams. When I saw him be able to run some of the routes that he ran in Los Angeles, it was one of those types of things where you just look at it and say, how great would this guy look in a Patriots uniform doing what he's doing for the Bolts and doing it well, and he's been everything is advertised. So those two guys, especially on the

offensive side of the ball have really been key. Zach, you mentioned Mack, and I'm not going to, you know, twist the tweaking a little bit too much here, but there are three particular players that have really been instrumental figures in the New England Patriots resurgence. Mack, obviously one of them, you briefly mentioned Damian Harris, and the other is rookie defensive tackle Christian Barmore. I'm going to put an Auburn guy in a very difficult position to sing the praises of three Bama boys that are going to be cornerstones of this franchise for many years to come. When you look at these guys, you saw a lot of these guys up close and personal in college. You saw the seedlings of what they could be able to do.

How have each of them lived up to your expectations? Have any of them exceeded them? And did you start to see the seedlings at Alabama when these guys did battle with Auburn that they could be something special in the NFL? Yeah, no, I mean, of course, of course, you know, just from an Auburn standpoint, seeing, you know, the dynasty that Alabama's had. I mean, if you're a starter at Alabama, you've got a chance to be a really good NFL player just two or three years later.

There's no question about it. But Mack's trajectory was a little different than like Barmore. I mean, Barmore came in as a, you know, a hot shot kid. And then, you know, he just dominated every step of the way. And I'm shocked that he wasn't a first round pick. But, you know, Mack came in, and, you know, he had to sit behind Tua. And, you know, if Tua had never gotten hurt, I don't know if he ever actually really gets a chance

because Bryce Young comes in, who's probably going to win the Heisman this weekend. But, you know, everyone talked about how great Bryce Young was coming from California. You know, he was going to be the guy that started as a true freshman and have the chance to win three straight national titles. I mean, that was the storyline. And it's like, well, Mack was pretty good when Tua went out.

And so, you know, if COVID doesn't happen, Mack maybe never gets a legitimate shot. But since, you know, fall camp was shortened, there's a, you know, there's a real chance that Mac won the job just because he had more experience and they had less time to get ready to just roll with them and then you know I guess fortunately from an Alabama perspective you know it was the right call it was one of the best teams to ever play college football um with I mean they just dominated everyone you know that season so that's kind of. A lot of little things had to happen that kind of hurt Tula and hurt Bryce

Young to, for Mac to get his shot. But I mean, obviously what he's done with the new England Patriots, you know, and there was kind of some controversy, you know, that he shouldn't have been a first round pick and, you know, love all those quarterbacks taken in the first 15 or so selections. He's outperforming all of them. And sure. Some of that system and a lot of that's coaching, but Mack has really been a sponge and soaked it all in.

And it's been crazy to see not only his progression as a quarterback on the field, but also off the field stuff. Like watching somebody on social media clip an interview that he had during during training camp and then clipped him talking after the after the Buffalo Bills win this past Monday night. And he went from like this go lucky kid to like, oh, OK. Yeah, he's talking like a Patriot quarterback now. He's almost robotic. So, you know, it's been crazy to see that kind of impact. Then Damian Harris, you know, the storyline for him was, okay, he stayed in Alabama an extra year. And so a lot of folks were like, okay, nobody really does that.

Nobody stays in Alabama an extra year because they go off and get money. And so a lot of folks kind of view Damian Harris as, okay, maybe he's not going to quite get there. But what, he was a fourth-round pick for the pass. And a lot of folks thought since he stayed that extra year, he'd be a little bit more worn down. I mean, you know how hard it is for running back to stay healthy for extended amount of time, but he's been great. He's been really, really steady. It seems like he's kind of, you know,

always kind of got a little injury that he's battling, but that's just part of the running back position. So I think they did a good job getting him some depth behind him with, you know, from Andre Stevenson there. But yeah, I mean, all three of those dudes have been, have been really, really impressive and far more, a better pass rusher than I expected them to be. I expect him to just kind of be mainly a run stopper in on early downs,

but he's impacting the opposing quarterbacks on all three downs. So yeah, lots of light from this trio of Bama guys, and I'm about to throw up because I just said so many good things about the Bama players. Well, we're all about causing regurgitation here on Locked On Patriots, mostly for other fan bases. But, you know, anytime we can get an Alabama praise from an Auburn guy, you know the Patriots are doing something right.

And I completely agree with you, especially on Barmore. Barmore is such a pleasant surprise for me. I knew this kid was going to be something special, but even I didn't see what his capabilities would be as a rookie to be able to come in. His ability to push the pocket really, I think, has transformed the way this team would like to play defense. And the fact that he's developed such a synergy with Matt Judon, and these guys are so much on the same page, when Christian gets into position, it allows Judon to be able to roam freely. He can pin his ears back, get after the quarterback, utilize the lanes to be able to rush the passer,

but also it facilitates when Judon needs to drop back and be a factor in run defense as well. So these guys really have done a tremendous job. Damian Harris obviously is rounding into form as a feature back on this team and will continue to be, even though Stevenson, in my opinion, has been one of the most impressive rookies out there, maybe the more unsung on a national level. You know, you put him right up there with Barmore and with, with Mac this year in terms of impressive rookies on this team. And then of course saying the good things about Mac Jones and his ability to move from a happy-go-lucky kid in training camp,

a kid that I had an opportunity to, to, you know, have a brief exchange with over the course of the summer and And to see him now, yeah, it really does. He looks very Tom-like at the podium in a lot of ways. And I mean that as a compliment, because it really is remarkable to see that evolution happen so quickly. Well, Zach, that's where we've been. But we haven't really gone into depth as to where we're going yet with the New England Patriots.

Four games remain on the schedule, tough games coming up. And I know some may roll their eyes a little bit when I say all four of these games are going to be tough, but I believe all four of these games are going to be tough. In just a moment, Zach Blackerby, host of Locked on Auburn, will talk about, alongside myself, some of the difficulties that the Patriots may be facing in these matchups coming up. And when it's all said and done, are we really headed for the inevitable? Yeah, folks, you know exactly what I'm going to get at in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium is less than 100 days away

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the amazing offers available for the 2021 season. BetOnline, the fastest and easiest way to bet all of your favorite sports. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Patriots fans, the great Zach Blach joins me here on Locked On Patriots, college channel coordinator of the Locked On Network and, of course, editor at the Auburn Wire, the host of Locked On Auburn, and a tremendous Patriots mind and just one of my good friends and also one of my most valued colleagues. And it's my honor to bring you here to this pseudo crossover Thursday episode by week edition for the New England Patriots. And Zach, in the previous segment, we talked a lot about what the Patriots have done.

You had to sing some praises of some Auburn guy. Excuse me, as Auburn guy had to sing some phrases of some Alabama guys. And I know that's still leaving the bitter taste in your mouth. So we're going to get away from all that. We're going to talk about the team as a whole and what challenges this team faces coming down the stretch,

because there are significant, you know, games left on the schedule that the Patriots have to be ready for, starting with a week from this coming Saturday, December 18th, 8.20 p.m., Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis. From there, they come back home, face the Buffalo Bills once again the day after Christmas, 1 p.m. Although, folks, stay tuned for that. We don't know if that's going to be flexed.

That could be a possibility. There's still rumors going around about that. But right now, it's scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, the 26th. That should be a great matchup at Gillette. Rematch from this past Monday. Matchup at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars the day after New Year's. The first, you know, I guess the business day, if you want to call it that of 2022. And then, of course, the Miami Dolphins, January 9th. That's always a house of horrors for the New England Patriots heading down to Hard Rock and Miami Gardens, Florida, for the end of the year romp with the Dolphins who are suddenly resurgent in the AFC East. Zach, we talked about the formula earlier. We talked about coaching. We talked about solid complementary football on both sides of the ball, but Bill Belichick has always said that teams come together and you really know what they're facing when the winter comes, when the winter arrives. To quote Game of Thrones,

you know, brace yourself. Winter is coming and so are the Patriots here. What do they have to do down the stretch? Is it more of the same or do you feel that this team still needs to elevate their game in order to be able to maintain what they're doing on this amazing ride that has them at the top of both the conference and the division? Yeah, I mean, Mike, I think they've got to use this bye week that they have to get healthy. You know, a lot of guys are banged up, and rightfully so. This is like the latest bye week that the NFL's ever had. So, you know, that makes sense. It's been a brutal schedule for them. But I think the offense still needs to take a little bit of a step forward

in the passing side of things to, you know, complement this run game that they've really developed over the course of the season. But I think if this defense continues to play the way that they are, I mean, this team can go, you know, all the way if they really, really kind of get that offense moving just a little bit more. But you talk about that road game and Indy, that Saturday night game, that's going to be a huge one. You know, Indy, I think is definitely a beatable team. Both of these teams are going to want to run the football. So, you know, NFL Network may be upset with how quick the clock runs in this one, but that's going to be, you know, I think it's certainly a winnable game.

The Buffalo game the following week is an interesting one because, you know, how do the Bills respond? And, you know, Belichick kind of had a nod of, okay, well, you know, we still have all of our passing plays. You know, we don't have to reinstall things. So I think that's going to be good for the offense um but you know Buffalo uh the Bills they seem pretty shaken up over this and you know they were was the poyer that was asked about you know being embarrassed and the way he responded to that kind of shows it's like yeah I think it's bothered these folks you know the the Bills are this tough-nosed team and they knew New England was going to run the ball 40 plus times and they couldn't do anything they knew New England was going to run the ball 40-plus times,

and they couldn't do anything about it. So they're going to want to win that game. You know, even with it being in Foxborough, they're going to win that. And so how does that respond – you know, how do they respond to that? Jacksonville's going to be fun because it's going to be the whole rookie versus rookie, Mack Jones versus Trevor Lawrence, who's the best rookie, yada, yada, yada. But I certainly think that's a winnable game. And then, yeah, like you rookie, yada, yada, yada, but I certainly

think that's a winnable game, and then, yeah, like you said, at Miami, that one's going to be tough, it's always tough to win down there, and, you know, they played in the season opener, and that was a game that they probably should have won, you know, and Damian Harris holds on to that football at the end, you know, they probably make that kick, and, you know, maybe they have a two-game lead for the the one seat. But yeah, I mean, as far as what they need to do, I think they just focus on getting better offensively and in the passing game. And I think some of that was with Mac.

I think some of that is with these wide receivers and I mean, just the nature of, you know, getting better from each and every week. That's what the Patriots do. And that's what Bill Belichick and Joshua McDaniels are so good at. And so that's kind of what I'm expecting from this bye week. And then we may see a version of that against Indianapolis in two weeks. Absolutely. I completely agree.

And look, with regard to Indianapolis, yeah, these two teams are definitely predicated on the run game. They're going to look to establish it early. Jonathan Taylor is having a phenomenal season in the MVP discussion because of the prowess with which he runs the ball. So going to be interesting to see the Patriots devise a scheme to be able to control that. They did a very good job of taking Buffalo's run game out of their repertoire on Monday, but Buffalo doesn't quite have the running game that Indianapolis has. That's really where their bread and butter is and where they're able to really shine and showcase what they can do. But even games like the Jacksonville game, which a lot of people might say is a trap game for the New England Patriots, Jacksonville

has already proven that they can come in, beat the Buffalo Bills. They took it to the Miami Dolphins. Maybe it's a situation where they're just good against the AFC East and not against anybody else. So you can never take the game off, especially this late in the season. And again, you know, we talk about game planning. Bill Belichick will continue to game plan specifically for each individual team. He does it better than anybody. And even with the game plan that they employed on Monday,

which I know still angers a lot of Patriots fans, a lot of analysts in this area are salivating at the thought of a week's worth of biweek material of Bill doesn't trust Mac. He just doesn't trust him. Look, he didn't go to him when it was a hostile environment. First of all, I think you can speak to it as well as anybody. Mac is used to hostile environments. I'm sure playing against Auburn, he was not treated with kid gloves by the Auburn faithful. I'm sure there were plenty of dart boards in and around the Auburn University that had Mack Jones' face on it. So I'm sure he's not worried about coddling this kid in terms of the hostile environment. That wind was a very strong wind in buffalo anybody

that's been to western new york and knows the type of weather that can really hamper a team and a young quarterback is definitely there was it some of managing him in that situation probably a little bit but i don't think it's as much as people are making it out to be i think they went run specific knowing the weather knowing this was going to be their game plan. Just a couple of weeks ago, Mac had his season high in terms of passing yards. So if they weren't confident in his ability to get the job done, they wouldn't be going to him in those situations. He's still getting his footing and still getting where he needs to be. And, you know, the future is very bright for Mac Jones right now.

Zach, it almost feels, and I hate to say this because I don't like hypotheticals, but we're going to talk about hypotheticals because whenever I think about this particular one, I think back to early October when the two of us were in Foxborough watching Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. I don't know. There's a feeling of inevitability up here in New England. I don't know how much it is down in Tampa. I don't know about the rest of the league. But a lot of people up here in New England are starting to get excited about the prospect of a Bucs-Patriots Super Bowl. Right now, there's, I believe, a minus three line on the board, thanks to our friends at BetOnline.ag, for this matchup to absolutely be a possibility.

And who would have thought this when the Patriots, you know, had started two and four? No one would have seen this coming. But at nine and four and playing their best football, and hopefully their best football is still yet to come, the Patriots right now have the inside track on that first round bye. And if they can secure that, we've seen this team be very difficult in the playoffs, knowing that the road has to go through Foxborough. If, in fact, we do get this inevitable matchup, and I say inevitable tongue- cheek, folks, because it's not a lot has to happen. There are a lot of teams in the NFC that are going to be upset with that as well.

Green Bay fans and fans that believe that they have the better team, Arizona Cardinals fans that believe that they have the better team and they'll be representing the NFC in Los Angeles. But if we do get a Patriots, Buccaneaneers Super Bowl, what type of hype level are we looking at here? I mean, I've just imagined this going completely and utterly off the charts in a way we've maybe never seen before or haven't seen in quite a while for a Super Bowl matchup. Yeah, I've always said when Tom was in New England, like a Brady-Rogers Super Bowl would be probably the most hyped up Super Bowl of all time, but then we got the Brady-Mahers Super Bowl would be probably the most hyped-up Super Bowl of all time.

And then we got the Brady-Mahomes, and it didn't really live up to the hype. And then all of a sudden it's like, man, this would be probably the most hyped-up game in the history of football. I mean, just all of the storylines that you'd be able to kind of tie into it. Because, I mean, even the quote-unquote Brady haters that have existed have been around for the last 20 years they seem to have gravitated and found an interest in what he's doing at Tampa now and so I just think any football fan um and really just any human being I mean this seems to be a drama of you know Brady and the Patriots and Brady versus Belichick and all that, it seems to have transcended sports to some extent. I mean, whenever my wife knows a storyline about something, I'm like, oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. So that's, that's like maybe just like normal

culture because she's not a sports person at all. So, you know, that's always kind of my measuring stick there, but yeah, I mean, it would be crazy, Mike. It would be incredible. And I think it's, you know, based on how the Patriots defense did against the Tampa Bay's offense, you know, I think they'd have a chance in it, which is even crazier to think about. So I'm all for it. I hope it happens. It'd be the craziest two weeks of buildup before a Super Bowl ever. Oh, it absolutely would be. And, you know, Zach, one thing about this matchup that really has me excited about the prospect, and I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself, especially, you know, in our line of work, we have to be very temperant in our opinions and in terms of our analysis and really keep the options open. And folks, again, this is hypothetical. We're not talking about something that is a foregone conclusion.

There's a lot that would have to go right for the Patriots, a lot that would have to go right for the Bucs to get this matchup on paper. But this would be one of those very few times where you see the two primary forces on both teams really be the antagonist to one another. I mean, you hear about this all the time. Like you said, a Brady Rogers Superbowl, Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers do not actually do it out on each side of the ball. It's right. Does Brady's performance equal Rogers does on offense or any type of quarterback matchup is usually not a like for like versus David versus Goliath type thing, or, you know, you know, Rocky versus Apollo or whatever, you know, whatever type of analogy you want to throw in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are really in essence going to be going against one another. It's going to be Tom Brady leading

the best offense, arguably in the NFL, in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the top defense in the NFL, led and coached by Bill Belichick. So is the student able to master the master, or does the hoodie still have one left up his cutoff sleeve somewhere in order to be able to confuse arguably the greatest player he's ever coached? And Bill Belichick said earlier he considers Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor the two greatest players ever, and Bill Belichick has had the opportunity to coach them both. I think that says something. And this would be the ultimate chess match. I mean, there's no question about it. We thought we saw a little piece of it, that game back in early October

and Foxborough. This would really, truly be the ultimate chess match. And I think everybody would be front and center. But once again, we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We know, thankfully, that the New England Patriots folks are not like Zach Blackerby and myself. They're not dreaming of opportunities that are weeks down the line. Their focus right now, well, maybe not right now. I think their focus right now is on resting and getting healthy during the bye week, but the minute they step back into the doors in Foxborough, they're going to be ready to go, and they're going to be focused on one thing and one thing only, and that's the Indianapolis Colts coming up on Saturday, December 18th. Zach, what can I say? I thank you for taking

the time out today to join me here on the pseudo crossover. Couldn't think of a better guy to share the microphone with today. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you, interact with you, and what you have coming from the great pen, the great voice of Zach Blackerby,

not only on Locked on Auburn, but across all of the platforms for which you provide your great content. Well, yeah, I encourage anybody to check out just the Locked on College channel. If you have a college team, you probably have a Locked On show for it. I host Locked On Auburn, but, you know, a lot of the Boston folks, you know,

AJ does a great job with Locked On Boston College. And, you know, we got several shows that we'd really appreciate if you kind of gave a shot at the college network. And I'm on Twitter at ZBlackerby. That's where most of my Patriot stuff is. So, Mike, I always enjoy chatting with you, man, and hopefully we get to do it again soon. Absolutely, my friend. Always look forward to you joining me on the pod,

and we look forward to doing it again soon. In the meantime, please continue to stay safe, stay well, and we'll definitely be talking Pats football soon. But thank you again, and have a very happy holiday. Thanks, Mike. Just like that, Patriots fans, we have nearly got you through the bye week

and into the weekend where you will be devoid of Patriots football, but there's still plenty to talk about. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to,

and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. And most importantly, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Tomorrow here on the pod, we'll be wrapping things up in style.

However, now you should make your second listen, Locked on Bets, your daily one-stop shop for all your gambling needs. Locked on Bets is hosted by your boy Q with expert analysis and insight from Lee Sterling. It's free and available on all platforms. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend and colleague, Zach Blackerby, host of Locked On Auburn, for his time, his insight, his kind words on the Bama products,

and, of course, his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.